Human rituals
by MoonyCakey
Summary: After accepting his undeniable attraction towards his commander, Garrus has a new mission: To win Shepard's heart. With a little help, of course.
1. Chapter 1

Three weeks have passed since Garrus was back on the Normandy. Meeting with Shepard once more was the best thing that could have happened to him, he wished more than anything in the world to be able to support her in her endless fight against the Reapers. Nonetheless, there was something different this time. He felt inexplicably nervous around her, and he started to notice he was _watching her back_ more than he should lately. Something was seriously wrong with his body and his priorities. It took him some work to finally accept that he felt attracted to his commander, but he was especially mad at himself for the moment his hormones started to act. They were in the middle of a war! His mind had been going over again the consequences of creating a bond with his her without stopping, and to be honest, the results were not very encouraging. Even if he could find some good reasons, he didn't even know if she was willing to try. He sighed frustrated, looking at the omni-tool on his arm. His mind kept telling him that it was a bad idea, but there was a voice in his head with a simple phrase that made him forget about everything else.

_If not now, when?  
_  
Not being able to contain his curiosity any longer, he tried to formulate his question the best way he could to get the information he was looking for.

_How to seduce a human female.  
_  
Although his search made him feel embarrassed, soon he started to get lost in the articles that gave all kind of advice about courtship between human beings. Some were stranger than others, but he felt he was starting to get an idea about what he needed.

_"Pay attention to her body language and her facial expressions_". Well, he would probably have trouble with that. But later he would make sure to change his search to _"Human expressions and how to recognize them"_

His mind had already started to ramble about how to put in practice everything he learnt so far, but a familiar voice made him startle. He quickly stopped what he was doing and turned around with a guilty attitude, as if he was doing something he shouldn't.

"Is it a bad moment?" Asked the recently arrived woman when she noticed her friend's discomfort.

"N-not at all, I was just… You know, doing some research about calibrations and giant weapons… Ahem, do you need something?" He answered awkwardly, making Shepard smile. She knew that the turian was trying to hide something, but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't force him.

"Not really, I just wanted to talk. Do you have a minute?"

-Sure-. He quickly recovered his composure, trying to leave his nervousness aside. –Got something on your mind?-. He asked genuinely concerned about her mental well-being. The last mission wasn't exactly easy.

The woman walked silently towards the handrail and leaned herself on it with a thoughtful look. She took a few seconds before answering.

"I was thinking about the salarians. It is… Kind of frustrating. Trying to come up with a way to get their support in the war while the Reapers keep destroying everything. Besides… Mordin…" She paused when she said his name aloud, as if her mouth went suddenly dry. She didn't need to say anything else; her friend understood perfectly what she meant. Garrus came closer to adopt the same position as her.

"That wasn't your call, Shepard. You know that. Besides, helping the krogan was the right thing to do. Who knows what might have happened if you had sabotaged the cure and they had found out. We need to work together to win this war, not to create motives to start another one."

The commander felt as every word from the turian lighten the heavy weight that made her restless. She still mourned Mordin's death, but Garrus had a good point. Even if the leader of the Urdnot clan wasn't a good friend, she couldn't allow herself to lose the krogan support in the war. She stood straight before speaking again.

"You're right. Sometimes I just think too much. I'm glad you're here to make me see reason."

The turian nodded. "Whenever you need me, Shepard."

The woman gave him a weak smile and touched his arm softly as a gesture of gratitude before leaving the room.

Garrus watched her walk through the hall until the doors closed and he was alone again. His stomach shrank with that last gesture and he cursed himself for thinking how lucky he felt that she went to him to talk about her concerns.

-o-

A little after what happened on Tuchanka and the attack on the Citadel, the crew finally got some news from the quarians. The good part was that Tali was safe and sound, but the recent start of the conflict against the Geth wasn't as nice to hear. Especially not in a moment like that. Shepard got down to work quickly, agreeing to deactivate the signal controlling the Geth's ship so the quarian fleet could retreat from the battle.

She thought it wasn't the best idea to start a war against the Geth. Not just because they were already in a war against the Reapers, but also because she was hoping for both species to cooperate after meeting Legion. And she was glad Tali thought the same way.

Tali, Garrus and Shepard quickly moved forward inside the Geth's ship. The three of them had been working together for more time than they could remember, so it wasn't very hard to adjust once again to each other's fighting style.

Garrus noticed that Shepard placed herself in what she considered a safe spot and took out her sniper rifle to shoot from afar, taking advantage of the distraction that Tali's drones provided. He was about to get back to his own fight when a strange movement caught his attention. Clearly, a Hunter Geth was getting close to Shepard from her back, making it even more obvious when he checked with his visor. He barely got enough time to point his weapon on her direction and take down his target before it could reach the commander. His heart was racing really fast as she finally looked back to see the Geth materializing and falling beside her. She nodded at Garrus in gratitude when she realized what happened. He nodded back and moved to a different target, but his mind kept running thousands of sceneries where Shepard got hurt.

They moved forward, but this time it was harder for him to keep up the pace. His new obsession of being constantly watching his commander didn't allow him use his skill to the fullest, and many times he made stupid decisions or reacted slower than usual. The consistency of the team had decreased, but it became even more evident when Tali asked him if he was okay.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." The turian answered, feeling ashamed for getting to the point of making the team worry.

Shepard felt a mix of relief and anxiety when they found Legion. She was sure they could trust him, but she also knew that it would be hard to persuade everyone to stop the conflict. She decided to try not to think about it and focus her attention on the huge quantity of heretics that had gathered in front of her.

The turian continued his secret mission of keeping her always within his line of sight. After the terrible feeling he had at the beginning of the mission, the strong instinct of protection was impossible for him to avoid at this point. He wouldn't forgive himself if Shepard got hurt in a mission with him. He wouldn't allow it.

He got out of cover to change his position when he noticed she wasn't close, but it didn't take him long to notice that it was a terrible mistake. Cursing himself for not being more careful, he evaded the Geth's rocket that was heading directly to his torso. He couldn't help but get his arm terribly damaged though.  
_  
Damn shield_ he thought to himself as he got back to cover once more grabbing his arm, which was bleeding at an alarming rate. The wound burned as hell, but luckily for him, Tali didn't take so long to hack his opponent, giving Shepard time to get close and apply some medigel.

"Damn it, Garrus. Don't tell me you got addicted to get hit by rockets." She teased in a serious tone, making the turian laugh, but it sounded more like a panting.

"I couldn't allow the scars to fade." Answered as he felt the relief of the medigel healing his wound. Although the most important damage had been fixed, it was still difficult to move his arm. He definitely wouldn't be able to use it. He was glad it wasn't his right arm.

"Can he get up?" Tali asked after defeating the last enemy in the zone. Garrus stood up before they could even doubt it, and the three of them started running once they heard about the quarians's intentions towards the ship they were on.

They escaped just in time thanks to Legion's help, but it didn't reduce the rage of the squad members once they were back on the Normandy. Garrus on his side, felt the urge to rip admiral Gerrel's head off, but it wasn't a very diplomatic thing to do. He still doubted if he should stay to check on Shepard or go to Dr. Chakwas's to fix his arm. He was about to go when he noticed the admiral in charge of the heavy fleet leaving the war room, walking slightly bowed and with a hand on his stomach. He smiled to himself, only imagining what could have happened in there.


	2. Chapter 2

The turian had passed all morning trying to keep his mind busy without being able to. Calibrating the Normandy's weapons had become a regular activity, so his expertise on the topic allowed him to do it without paying much attention. Rambling was inevitable. Although his wound wasn't really serious, Dr. Chakwas suggested that he take at least one day to fully recover before going to another mission. Suggesting that, unfortunately, Shepard took very seriously. In that moment she was who knows where, fighting the enemy while he pointlessly tried to contribute in the ship. He hated not being able to go with her on the missions, not being able to protect her at all. But he felt even worst every time he remembered his attitude during the last trip. Acting like her babysitter put the whole team in danger, and even risked the success of the mission. He couldn't allow his emotions to have power over him. He needed to control his instincts.

Finally giving up, he stopped what he was doing and went to the kitchen to eat something. But once there, he noticed he wasn't the only one with that in mind.

"Hey, Garrus. How's your arm?" Asked the quarian when she saw him enter the place, interrupting her previous conversation with Liara.

"Fine, I wasn't a big deal." He answered doing his best to avoid talking about the reason he was on the ship that morning. He walked towards the kitchen shelf and grabbed the first dextro-based food he found, not feeling too picky.

"I would be more careful if I were you. People don't usually get hit with a missile and live to tell the story."

"Then surely you don't remember who you're talking with." He teased, feeling his mood getting a little lighter. He ate some of the food he had on his plate, but suddenly he started feeling uncomfortable under the persistent stare that Liara laid on him.

"Is everything alright, Garrus?." She finally asked, getting Tali's attention as well.

"Right, you did seem a little distracted during the mission yesterday." Unfortunately she added, like he needed someone to remind him about that. He took a moment before answering, but just before he opened his mouth, a robotic voice got ahead.

"It probably has something to do with his sudden interest in human's mating rituals."

Garrus felt like he almost dropped his plate, and for the first time he felt like using that mute button that EDI used to have.

"You know EDI, most people appreciate their privacy."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that". Said Liara this time, not making him feel really surprised. Of course there was a reason why she had been staring at him since he got in the kitchen.

"Anyone would think that the Shadow Broker would at least have a different protocol when it comes to close friends."

Liara smiled before answering. "In that case, I would be a very bad Shadow Broker. Business is business. "

"Remind me that the next time I want to talk to you about an attempt against another species."

"So, you got a thing for human females, Garrus? Or is it just Shepard?" Tali mocked without bothering to hide the amusement on her voice.

"Are you done laughing yet? Because if I recall correctly, there are a few things more important to do than talk about my personal life."

"Hey, Garrus, I thought you would like to know that the commander is back from the mission. Should I go down and kiss her, or should I just leave that to you?" Joker intervened this time, as if not enough people knew it already.

"Thank you all for your conceal and discretion." Said the turian aloud, just wanting to end his lunch as soon as possible to get away from there. Blessed the moment he decided to get out.

"Oh, come on Garrus, what's stopping you?" Asked the asari with a serious demeanor. Garrus really didn't want to talk about that topic, but he knew that her friend wouldn't give up without an answer.

"How about the biggest war in the galaxy?" Answered in a tired tone, "Besides, she clearly has more important stuff to do. If she wanted to be with someone, she…"

He suddenly went silent when he heard the elevator doors getting open. Everyone stared anxiously towards the corridor, waiting for someone to show up, and when Shepard finally appeared, the silence didn't go away.

"Uhm… Is there something wrong?" The woman asked perplexed before the three pair of eyes staring at her like she was a recently discovered species.

"Oh, nothing. We were just talking about inter species relationships." Said Tali carefreely, but with the obvious intention of teasing Garrus, which she clearly achieved. The turian got tense, but he didn't say anything.

"I see. Any of you has a particular interest?" Asked the human, trying to keep up with the conversation. She approached the place where Garrus was to grab some food as well.

"Maybe." Said the quarian enjoying the situation, "Well, I better go back to the engineering room, I have a lot to do." She stood up to get lost in the elevator. Liara didn't wait too long to follow her lead.

"I should probably do the same thing. There are a lot of reports to read. See you later, Shepard."

The commander stood next to the turian, leaning her body towards the kitchen furniture. She was kind of puzzled by the strange attitude of her two friends.

"Anyone would say those two are up to something." She commented, focusing on her lunch. All the movement of the day had left her hungry, and she couldn't wait to finish what was on her plate.

"Well, you know them." Said Garrus trying to hide his nervousness. Not that he couldn't act natural in front of Shepard, but after a conversation like that and all the suspicious insinuations Tali made, it was hard to let things flow, "Anyway, how did the mission go?" Asked trying to change the subject. Fortunately, the woman didn't seem especially interested in the previous topic.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Hackett requested us to secure a base. Cerberus was there, as usual." She gave the first bite to her food, "I took Javik this time. His skills are impressive, he's a very capable soldier. I didn't have the chance to see him in action before. By the way, how's your arm doing?"

Garrus felt his blood getting hot, and he was sure it wasn't just because he felt his spot on the team threatened. He ignored that sensation to finally get out what he had in mind.

"It's ok, it wasn't a big deal. To be honest, if it wasn't for Dr. Chakwas's indications, I would have insisted to join you on this mission." The woman seemed ready to reply, but Garrus kept talking, "Shepard, I'm sorry about yesterday. Getting hit like that was… Stupid."

The woman smiled comprehensively and softly tapped his arm.

"Come on, Garrus. There's nothing to be sorry about, it's not like you wanted to get shot. Right?  
Unless… There's some kind of fetish I should know about?" The woman joked, lifting an eyebrow.

The turian knew that wasn't enough. He wanted to talk about how distracted he was during the mission, about how he had slowed the team and he wanted to promise her he would never allow something like that to happen again. Nonetheless, explaining the reason of his distraction would be a lot more complicated. He limited himself to laugh in response.

"Commander, you've got a new message marked as urgent." EDI's voice sounded in the room, making Shepard sigh in resign. She put her plate down with the food almost intact and took a protein bar instead.

"Talk to you later, Garrus." Said smiling one last time before disappearing in the corridor. The turian watched her go away, feeling somewhat powerless for not being able to help her any further. But he knew the galaxy didn't need him. They needed Commander Shepard.

-o-

Three days passed and nothing happened. Shepard didn't even drop by the main battery to talk to him as she used to do, he didn't run into her on the kitchen and even worse, she hadn't been taking him in the latest missions. The turian was confused. He knew the commander well enough to know that if she was mad or disappointed on his last performance, she would have let him know. But if that wasn't the case, then what was going on? Not being able to bear the uncertainty anymore, he hurried to the hall until he got to the elevator and pressed the number one on the panel before he could even consider it was a bad idea. Nonetheless, once he was in front of the door to her private cabin, the nerves started to take him over. The door displayed a green symbol, which meant the door was open. He slowly approached the door and called two times, feeling a knot on his stomach. After receiving a positive answer from the other side, he finally crossed the door threshold, finding the commander with a towel on her hands, drying her wet hair. She was wearing the pants she always wore when she wasn't using her armor, but he had never seen the tight shirt she had on in that moment. It was probably what she usually wore under the N7 sweater.

The turian felt his body temperature rising before the embarrassment of suddenly feeling himself in such an intimate situation. He had never been in her cabin before, and the fact that she was just getting out of the shower didn't help.

"Is something wrong, Garrus?" Asked the woman, keeping her normal attitude. It was clearly a normal situation for her. After all, a lot of crew members had come to her cabin to discuss personal matters. Garrus tried to shake off his shyness to finally let her know the reason he was there, but it didn't seem so clear now. He didn't know how to start.

"I just wanted to know…" _Why isn't she taking me on the missions_? He continued the sentence on his mind, reprehending himself for even considering asking the question that way. He didn't want to sound like he was questioning her, damn, he didn't even know if he had the right to ask something like that. After all, she had the power to take anyone she esteemed convenient. There was a reason she was in charge after all.

"Know what?" Asked Shepard a bit curious about her friend's sudden reservation. He stared at the fish tank as if it was the most interesting thing before talking again.

"I wanted to know if there's a reason why you haven't been taking me on the mission lately." He finally said after looking at Shepard directly. She was his friend, and he knew he could trust her. That meant being able to express his concerns. The woman seemed to feel confused at first, but then gave him a resolute gaze.

"To be honest, Garrus, I've been a little worried about you. I know everything that's happening on Palaven can't be easy, and I haven't given you a moment to rest since you joined the Normandy again." She crossed her arms, "Hell, I don't even remember a single mission where you didn't come with me." She ended with a guilty smile. The turian was carefully listening to every word she said.

"And that's exactly what I need." He came closer to her, "Shepard, what happened on the Geth's ship… It won't happen again. I was distracted and jeopardized the mission."

Shepard leaned her back on the aquarium. "I know you won't. You're the best damn partner I've ever had, Garrus. You've saved my life more time than I can count."

"And I will keep doing it as many times as necessary until the reapers are destroyed."

"Fair enough." The woman smiled and took a step closer to the turian, keeping a more personal distance, "So, are you ready to destroy the base on Rannoch?"

Garrus felt the relief running through his body as he answered. "Just give the signal and I'll be ready."


	3. Chapter 3

They had been running for a long time. The journey wasn't exactly long, but clearly their enemies were doing their best to slow them down. Fortunately, the three members of the group could manage the situation and soon enough they got adapted to the rate of spawning of the Geth. They nimbly went through the rooms even when some unexpected events turned up. Tali ended up with a little gash on her suit, but she didn't allow that to keep her from advancing.

"This is my world, Shepard. There's no way I will stay behind while you are fighting for it." She strongly complained, totally refusing to abandon the fight.

"It will worth nothing if you are not alive to see it." The commander answered in a harder tone, but her friend didn't back off.

"A scratch isn't going to kill me. Besides, I already took antibiotics."

There was a little moment of silence before Tali talked again with a pleading voice.

-Please, Shepard. I need to do this.

The woman looked at her friend's eyes, barely visible through the helmet, and finally nodded in agreement. She helped her stand up and they kept running to the place where the signal was.

Garrus saw horrified how the ship stopped before Shepard's command and she immediately ran towards the door with the laser on her hands. An unstoppable impulse made him call her name desperately, making the woman turn over to him. He looked at her straight to the eyes for a couple of seconds, and in that moment he understood there was nothing he could do to change her mind. She was already decided, with a certainty in her expression that even made him feel she would succeed. Unable to do anything else, he grabbed her shoulder in an uplifting gesture.

"Destroy it."

The woman smiled with confidence and then nodded before running to the cliff where her battle would take place. The Reaper was now right in front of her. The last thing Garrus could see was her first attempt to take the machine down, feeling horrified to notice now it was focusing its attention on the woman. The ship moved from that place, avoiding the attack from some Geth from the other side and Garrus let his body fall down to the seat. His heart felt oppressed by the anguish and his brain couldn't stop replicating the moment Shepard rolled to avoid the Reaper's attack. He should be there, damn it. Even if it was just to serve as bait, he should be there and not in the ship waiting for the fight results. He didn't doubt the commander's skills, but he did doubt his judgment in situations like this. Shepard was constantly challenging the limits of her mortality and he definitely didn't want to witness the moment she found out. He didn't feel capable of bearing it.

A hand held his leg in a reassuring gesture, but the turian didn't even bother to look at the woman at his side.

"It's ok, Garrus. Shepard can do it."

The words sounded vague on his mind, like they were coming from a long distance. He didn't answer.

After what seemed like hours inside of the ship, Legion finally landed the vehicle in a safe spot and Garrus hurried to the door. His body felt heavy, like something was holding him down to avoid his progress. His gaze went directly to the place where the battle was and he panicked as he saw the reaper charging his shot just above her. Shepard was aiming the laser at the machine's red circle, but it didn't seem like the attack were going to lock before the enemy succeeded. Garrus held his breath as he heard the noise of the explosion and noticed a big, red energy beam hit the woman directly, keeping him from seeing anything else.

He took a quick breath and sat on the bed with his eyes totally open, finding himself once again in the Normandy. The darkness totally took up the place. He closed his eyes and put a hand on his head, trying to forget about all the emotions that just a couple of seconds ago felt so real. His heart was racing quickly and the anxiety wouldn't vanish, even when he reminded himself it was just a dream. Abandoning the idea of trying to sleep again, he stood up and walked towards the kitchen to drink a glass of water. He didn't remember having a dream as lucid as that one before. He dreamed thousands of times with Sidonis's betrayal, but it never felt so real. Shepard's death was a constant concern, and even if the woman could manage to defeat the Reaper on Rannoch, it would remain to be a risk, impossible to ignore during the war.

Suddenly a glass of water didn't seem like the best of ideas and he changed his direction. He didn't know what time it was, but he definitely could make a good use of the bar's supplies in a moment like that.

Expecting to find the place empty, Garrus got surprised by a curled up figure on the couch. She was staring at the window with a little blanket covering her legs and a glass of something purple in her hand. A strange melody he couldn't recognize gave some life to the room. Shepard turned over to find out who the intruder was and she smiled when she finally saw Garrus.

"Seeping problems?." Asked the woman, giving her glass a sip. Garrus got close to the bar and served himself a glass from the same bottle Shepard had been using and sat in front of her.

"I haven´t been dreaming with butterflies and rainbows exactly.". Answered, trying not to sound too tense, but it was difficult to get distracted with that dream on his mind.

"Nightmare?"

"Yeah, something like that." He tried not to think about it and sipped his glass.

"I didn't know turians could have nightmares too."

Garrus laughed to that. "Well, I'm pretty sure we have a brain and neurons too." He mocked, making the woman laugh as well.

"It wasn't what I meant." She defended herself, but she didn't add anything else. They went silent for a couple of minutes before Shepard talked again, this time in a serious tone.

"What was it this time?"

Garrus relived the last scene of his nightmare in his mind and quickly tried to think of something else.

"Oh you know, giant machines destroying everything, devastated cities, that kind of stuff."

The woman looked at him sideways and then smiled slightly.

"You are a bad liar, Vakarian." She said standing up and walking to the bar to empty the bottle on her glass. Garrus noticed with concern that the woman had finished the bottle alone, and judging by the subtle tickling sensation he was starting to feel on his mouth, he could say it wasn't something he would call soft. Also, it could mean that he was drinking something toxic for his organism, but he preferred to hang onto the first option. Shepard came back, but this time she sat to his side.

"Aren't you worried about the consequences it could have tomorrow?" He asked alluding to the hangover, but the woman shook her head in response, looking at the window again.

"I received a message from Hackett a couple of hours ago. It seems like he wants to get the Normandy checked, so we will have some free time." She drank from her glass, "The crew could use it."

"I think you could use it as well."

Shepard smiled. "Yeah, it might be a good idea."

They got into a confortable silence and the melody of the music was the only thing that could be heard in the place. Garrus started to like it, the soft sound of the instruments mixing harmoniously was very relaxing. He let his curiosity slip away.

"Do you hear this often?" Asked, surprising the woman, like she totally forgot about the music in the place. She laughed a little and raised a hand in sign of denial.

"Not at all. Actually, I was a teenager the last time I carefully heard one of these song." She seemed kind of embarrassed, but she continued to satisfy the turian's curiosity, "It was an old tradition on earth. They used to dance this kind of music during important ceremonies, like marriage, for example." She let go a nostalgic sigh, remembering all those sumptuous parties that used to be celebrated on earth, even if she hadn't attended to many of them, "It's called Waltz."

"Did you ever dance it?" He asked genuinely interested by the story. That was a part of Shepard he had never seen before.

"Not really. I used to watch them on vids." Admitted notably ashamed. "I never remained too much time on earth during my childhood."

The woman ended up getting lost in her memories with a slight smile on her lips, making the turian feel moved.

"Do you want me to show you?"

He looked kind of surprised by the sudden question, but he nodded anyway. He was waiting for her to show him some kind of vid on her omni-tool, but instead she put their glasses away and took his arm to make him stand up in front of her.

"Is not too hard to follow." She said smiling at the turian's confusion. She grabbed his three fingered hand with her own and put his arm in her waist before she finally held his shoulder. That was definitely the closest position they had even been on. Garrus felt his body get tense after feeling the warmth of her body, even through her clothes. He had touched her before, but he had never been able to carefully appreciate how fragile her body felt under his talons. Shepard started moving slowly, side to side and spinning their bodies a little with every move.

"I'm not sure of what should I do…" Said the turian feeling totally lost.

"Easy, you will get it."

After a few minutes his body started getting relaxed and it became easier to follow the woman's moves, but his mind kept tormenting him with the proximity of their bodies. Although they were not totally together, sometimes they got close enough to produce tempting grazes. He wasn't able to understand the way he desired her, he had never found any other female human attractive before. The woman got loose from his grip for a few seconds to spin and then immediately returned to the previous position. Garrus felt really lucky in that moment. There she was, Commander Shepard, who managed to establish a treaty between two enemies species, who ended a war that lasted cycles, who prevented two Reaper invasions and who now was showing him her most innocent memories from the time she was barely a child who dreamed about that kind of stuff. The woman spun again, this time from the turian's initiative and he held her even more firmly when he had her again in his arms.

The song suddenly stopped and both snapped out from the little trance they had been in. Nonetheless, they didn't move from their position. The woman raised her gaze and Garrus felt the urge to get closer and shorten all kind of distances, but he restrained himself. Her delicate human features seemed much more marked by the red tone her cheeks had acquired, probably by the effect of alcohol. He didn't exactly understand how human esthetic worked, but for him she was simply perfect. They kept staring at each other a few more seconds before the woman got loose from his grip.

"You are not bad at this kind of stuff." She said, grabbing her glass to sit down one more time. The turian mimicked her.

"I'm full of surprises."

They didn't know how many hours they had been there, but the time flied as they talked about memories and old stories from the Normandy SR-1. They fell into a calming silence in which Garrus started remembering the first impression he had on the woman. He recalled thousands of remarks that he heard about her before meeting her in person. Not many were exactly good. In fact, most of them came from other species and were unpleasant rumors or just skepticisms about her achievements for being a human. But just knowing she was trying to raise charges against Saren was enough for her to gain his respect. A person brave enough to stand up against the council in order to follow her beliefs deserved that and much more. That kind of perseverance was something he hadn't seen during his whole time working at C-Sec, and it was what inspired him to follow her to the end of the world. But she had done even more than that. She took them to the most certain death and brought them back. How could he ignore all those emotions that struck him just thinking about that?

He stared at the woman one more time, noticing her eyes were now closed and her breath was slow and paused. He stood up carefully, trying not to wake her up and took away the glass from her hands to avoid her from spilling its content. He took the blanket that was now lying on the floor and covered her tenderly. He would find a way to repay her from everything she had done for him. Giving her one last look, the turian turned off the music and left the place hoping the woman could finally rest at least for a couple of hours.


	4. Chapter 4

Just like the Commander predicted, that little break seemed to be having very good results on the crew members, even after chasing her own clone and beginning a race to prevent it from stealing the Normandy. Occupational hazards. If that have brought a good consequence, it was probably that after resolving the case, Joker convinced Shepard to organize a party on her new apartment that night. It would be a little weird under those circumstances, but it was possible that they wouldn't get another chance to celebrate all together.

Garrus watched distractedly a store catalog hoping to find a part, but he knew it probably wouldn't be available. It was really hard to get, and in times like those it seemed almost impossible. He was about to abandon his search when something else caught his attention. A pistol upgrade. It seemed a lot better than those he had seen on the Normandy. He wondered If Shepard saw it already.

"Thinking about someone in particular?" The known accent of his quarian friend made him startle a bit.

"So now I can't check the catalog for my own interests?". Said the turian ironically, but the woman answered immediately in an amused tone.

"Yeah, right, except that you don't use pistols during combat."

Garrus gave up on his search and walked without answering, now with his friend's company. She didn't stay quiet for too long.

"Did you invite her on a date?"

Garrus remembered his recent shooting contest with the Commander on the higher spot of the Presidium and felt warm inside. He wasn't sure he could call that a date, but they surely shared a great moment by themselves.

"Am I sensing a personal interest for my romantic preferences" He mocked trying to make his friend uncomfortable.

"Oh, consider it charity. I'm just trying to make sure you don't make a fool of yourself and end up losing your only chance to get a romance before the fight against the reapers" She joked back with a fake tone of arrogance. Garrus knew his friend used to mock like that to evade shameful situations, but he preferred to play along with her.

"Well, thanks for your honesty."

She laughed a little before answering again.

"That's exactly why you need me. A shooting contest would be fine for a friend, but if you want her to see you like something else then you will have to improve your techniques."

The turian wondered if Liara had wires and cameras installed on the clothes of all the crew members. That thought made him feel a shiver run through his back.

"Thanks for your confidence, Tali, but I think I can handle it" He finally said, trying to put an end to that uncomfortable conversation. The quarian crossed her arms totally amused before talking one last time.

"Is that so? Well, if I were you I would hurry. The last time I saw Shepard she was in the Purgatory drinking with a turian. He was kind of handsome, by the way" She walked provocatively by his side, "See you later, Garrus."

The turian stood on the place trying to process what Tali just told him. He knew she was trying to be provocative, but it didn't mean she was actually lying. Nonetheless, what could he do? He couldn't just get there and take her away from him. Right?

As if his body was unaffiliated with his mind's rationalization, his legs quickly took him to the elevator and pressed the number three, decided to get to the bar. He didn't have a plan for what he was about to do, but he couldn't contain his need to see it by himself.

The place was crowded with people, especially where the dance floor was. He took a couple of steps forward looking for Shepard, but the familiar voice of Joker interrupted him.

"Hey, Garrus! Just in time. Some guy just invited Shepard a drink. It seemed serious." He said clearly trying to make him jealous. EDI was just by his side and gave him an illegible look before talking.

"Jeff, that is not…"

"Anyway, I would hurry if I were you. See ya!" He interrupted the AI, grabbing her by her shoulders to keep going to the dance floor. Garrus felt kind of confused and he wasn't sure of what to think. He kept moving anyway and ordered a drink once he finally got to the bar.

From there, he subtly examined the place trying to find a red headed woman on the crowd and he felt a little gripe when he finally found out that Joker and Tali were not lying. Not too far from him he could barely distinguish the Commander sitting on one of the sofas right beside a turian he didn't recognize. They were pleasantly chatting. In an uncontrollable jealous rage, he drank all the glass's content at once, asking for another one immediately.

Ten minutes had passed, and his extremely ineffective plan of watching while he drank like the world was going to end was starting to set his nerves on edge. Why had they been talking for so long? What did that turian had that made him so interesting? Every glass he emptied made an intervention seem like a better idea. But the top of it was seeing the other turian talking to the waitress to ask for another round. Totally resolved, Garrus stood up and walked towards Shepard. She was clearly trying to reject the turian's offer, but he insisted.

"Shepard!" Exclaimed Garrus as if seeing her was a total surprise. The two other pair of eyes got focused on him while he sat down beside the woman, completely ignoring the other male in the place, "I was hoping to run into you. What time should I get to your house tonight" He slipped an arm over the back of the sofa, just behind the woman. It was a possessive gesture the other turian seemed to quickly understand.

The woman looked at him with a mix of amusement and surprise. Something was definitely wrong with her friend, but she preferred to let it go for the moment.

"I thought I sent a message with the details" She answered lifting an eyebrow and trying to restrain a smile, but failing in the attempt.

"Oh, yeah? Well… I haven't checked my messages yet. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I'm glad that you decided to do this. It's always nice to take some time to… Blow off steam" His tone was dangerously low on that last sentence, producing a strange reaction on the woman. He couldn't really interpret it, but he was begging he wasn't starting to scare her with his sudden change of attitude.

"Well Commander, I should go. Thank you again for bringing the flag back, it means a lot for my people" The other turian said, standing up to finally leave the place. The woman nodded to him before returning her attention to Garrus.

"Are you drunk, Vakarian?" Asked in a surprised tone. She didn't remember seeing Garrus that way before and she definitely hadn't been witness of the turian showing any weakness to alcohol.

"Not exactly… But I must admit I've been making use of our free hours. Contrary to you, it seems" He said making reference to what the soldier just said. He was kind of worried that even during her free time the woman could manage to get busy with other missions, even if they were little ones. But he knew that was a part of who she was. She just couldn't stay quiet.

"Oh, it's not a big deal. I was just passing by and I remembered I had found it." She answered care freely, leaning towards the back of the seat. Garrus didn't know if the woman was aware of the position they were in, but surely that didn't look exactly friendly. Now that the adrenaline driven by his jealousy rage was gone, he felt in a very vulnerable position. He thought about moving his hand away, but he didn't want to make it seem unnatural, "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Asked the woman, making him react.

"Well…" The turian thought that could be a good moment to leave, but just to remember the recent event made his blood burn. What if Shepard was actually interested on a relationship? What if he took too long and he ended up seeing her with someone else? He wasn't sure he could bare something like that. He didn't want to. He tried to remember any advice he had seen on the extranet, but as a drawback for him, Shepard wasn't an ordinary woman. He wasn't sure of what could work on her, but in the end he decided to go for the simplest choice, "Actually, I was thinking we could grab something to eat" He mentally reprehended himself for making it sound so casual. It was supposed to be the chance to insinuate his interest, not to remark their relationship as friends.

"Sure, we still have time" She answered standing up. Garrus released a little sigh thinking about the challenge that was approaching. Things wouldn't be easy.

-o-

After what probably would have been a normal dinner if it wasn't for the awkward intervention of James in the place, Shepard decided it was time to buy the stuff she needed for the party that night. Garrus thought about keeping her some company, but after finding out that EDI would join her, he decided to let them go by themselves. He actually had something he was looking forward to do before the party.

Things were not turning out to be any easier to him from the moment his feelings started to become stronger. He had been constantly daydreaming of unusual stuff and overprotecting Shepard more than he should. Before everything he had to bare during those months, the idea of what he was about to do seemed less terrible every second. He walked determinately to the elevator and pressed the number five. The doors opened and the Presidium seemed exactly the same, maybe with a little less traffic due the approaching night. His intuition didn't fail and he soon saw his blue friend standing next to the handrail of the lookout. He got closer and stood beside her quietly.

"Hey".

"Hello, Garrus. Is everything alright?"

The turian leaned himself towards the handrail, ending up on the same position his friend was. She knew the reason why he was there, but she wouldn't bring that up immediately. She knew Garrus needed to say aloud what was bothering him, it was the only way he could feel it absolutely real. He watched his hands thoughtful for a couple of minutes, but it didn't make the asari feel impatient.

"I… Haven't been myself lately" He finally said, getting the silent attention of his friend, "What I feel about Shepard, I don't know if it is a good thing or just a burden."

Liara gave him an understanding look, something that only she could fully transmit.

"How do you feel about it?"

The turian stirred restlessly, "I don't know. It's stupid, but I feel it had been mostly a source of problems lately. The truth is I'm afraid to make things harder for her. A crew member falling in love with her is the least she needs now."

Garrus took a moment to stare at the view, getting lost in his thoughts.

"But even aware of all that… I've been feeling more alive than ever."

The asari smiled satisfied, "Then it seems like you have your answer" She turned to him, "Isn't that something worth hanging onto? Especially in times like these."

Garrus gave her the equivalent to a turian smile. That conversation was something he had been avoiding from the moment he knew she was aware of his feeling towards the Commander, but now any reason he had to be reserved just wasn't enough compared to the relief he was feeling after finally speaking out his mind.

"I think you are right."

Liara put a hand on her waist and changed her expression to a sly one.

"Well, now that you have decided I don't think some advice could hurt. You and I know very well that Shepard is not the kind of woman you will get by searching tips on the extranet."

Garrus got kind of embarrassed with that sudden declaration and he couldn't help to remember Tali. Were all females like that? Nonetheless, she was right. Conventional stuff didn't seem like the most appropriate way to get closer to the Commander, and even if it didn't seem like the best of ideas, it was the only thing he could resort to. "Spirits helps me" he thought before starting to listen to Liara's ideas.


	5. Chapter 5

The turian woke up with a headache he could barely stand. His memories from the night before were confusing and he started wondering how much did he drink. The rest of the guests were mostly exhausted on a sofa or a chair, but there were still some of them on their feet. Resisting the impulse of laying down again on the couch he woke up, he started walking towards the stairs to look over the place searching for his memories. Nothing seemed to remind him about the last hours of the party from the day before, but he didn't want to stop trying. Feeling lost and unable to remember wasn't something he was used to, and it definitely wasn't something nice to feel. He could see Jack and Jacob at his right, exercising like nothing had happened the night before. He wondered how was it even possible to be that energized after a night of drinking like they did.

"Hey, Garrus. Wanna join?" Jacob offered once he entered to the room, but Jack immediately intervened with a mocking smile.

"Are you kidding? He can barely stand up. I'm not surprised anyway, he must've had a lot of action last night."

"Riight" Jacob continued with a sly smile. –Probably the Commander and he had a lot of time to… _Exercise_.

Garrus looked at them feeling kind of lost and a lot of questions appeared on his mind. What the hell were they talking about?

"Did I… Uhh… Say something last night?" He asked trying to keep his composure, but totally failing on the process.

"Well, your face did. It was like you were having sex with Shepard every time you looked at her. It was pretty disturbing, actually." Teased the woman, making the turian's blood gather in his face. If his anatomy were different, he would probably be completely red. Suddenly a memory came back to his mind, and he got lost on it.

Shepard had been moving through the crowd all night, making sure everyone were confortable, had everything they needed and were having fun. He was a little concerned she wasn't relaxing for being so attentive to everyone else's needs, but soon he realized it was something she enjoyed. Every time she got included on a group conversation, the woman seemed more relaxed than she had ever been during that war and he was glad she was finally getting the rest she deserved. He stared at her distractedly, so when Traynor asked something it took him some time to realize that the question had been addressed to him.

"Could you repeat that?" He asked trying to detach his gaze from the Commander to focus on the group conversation, but unfortunately now it was too late to dissimulate.

"Are you alright?" Asked the woman a little worried, but someone intervened.

"Oh don't worry about it, Traynor. He was just too busy falling in… *Hip* Falling in love with Shepard." Said Tali amused, getting different reactions among everyone else.

"Well… I had no idea you were interested on the Commander." Traynor seemed kind of troubled after receiving that information.

"The Commander is a great warrior and a wonderful leader. I'm not surprised you feel attached to her." Said this time Samara, solemnly.

"I'm surprised by the ineptitude of the primitives because of their pheromones. Especially if they are not even joined."

That was enough to make the turian wish he was on a fight against Sovereign instead of the situation he had to deal with. Were the members of the crew always so eager to talk about someone else's private life? He remembered to drink the content of his glass without a pause and suddenly his memories faded away once more, making it impossible to remember any further.

"Are you ok?" Asked Jacob before the sudden absence of the turian, but he didn't even bother to reply. He needed to know what have happened after that, and Jack's insinuations were not giving him any kind of relief.

"We'll talk later" He said hurrying to leave the room hoping to run into someone who could help him get his memories back. He walked through the living room and he couldn't help to notice Zaeed's noisy snores as he got close to EDI. That would be a good idea, true and objective data gathered by someone who couldn't lose her memory.

"Good morning. Can I help you with something? Maybe some medication to relieve the headache" Offered de AI politely once he got to her side. He rejected it fast.

"I'ts ok EDI, don't worry about it. Actually I'm having some trouble remembering exactly what happened last night and I would really appreciate your help."

"I understand. Should I start from the beginning or you want me to relate something in particular?"

"I think I can manage with the last hours of the party."

"All right then. During the last hours the guests started dancing in groups, significantly increasing consume of alcohol. You were dancing near the kitchen in one of the largest groups." The turian looked in the direction EDI pointed and the memories started coming back to his mind again.

Traynor, Cortez, Jack, Tali and Samara were dancing near him while some of them numerated the elements. By that hour, everything seemed strange and his perception of what was going on definitely wasn't normal.

It had been weeks since he hadn't feel so unconcerned, and not to mention the last time he had danced that way. There were some diffuse moments he couldn't recall clearly, but in the middle of all the chaos, he could remember Shepard getting close to him to chat. They moved away from the rest of the people so they could speak freely.

"Everything ok, Garrus? I hope this is turning out to be useful to… You know, _blow off steam._" She lowered her voice, mimicking the tone he had used with her on the Purgatory. Garrus felt a shiver run through his body under that insinuating gesture, but deep down he knew Shepard was probably joking.

"Definitely. It's been a long time since I hadn't felt this relaxed." He managed to answer, but the alcohol wasn't helping him to follow the flow of a coherent consistent conversation.

"Well…"The woman crossed her arms getting suggestively close to the turian, "There are better ways to blow off steam." She murmured with a sly smile before finally moving away, leaving the turian totally perplex. His face must have been a poem to Jack, who didn't waste a second before starting mocking him once the Commander had gone. But the turian was too busy trying to get a coherent conclusion out of that to pay her any attention.

Shepard was drunk, that was for sure. But was it a normal behavior for her to insinuate like that every time she got to that state?

The turian lost the thread again and the rest of the events became unclear, making him feel helpless. Getting his memory back part for part was incredibly frustrating, especially when something like that happened the night before. He got back to the reality again just in time to hear the end of EDI's story.

"Forty seven minutes later, Shepard lost consciousness on a couch and you carried her to her room. That's all the information I have."

Garrus's pulse started running faster once he heard that last phrase. Things were starting to make sense, but not in a way that would make him feel exactly calmed. Could it be possible that he and Shepard…? No, no way. It just couldn't be. Jack had to be wrong, she couldn't be insinuating that something happened between him and the Commander the night before. He just couldn't forgive himself if he acted with the woman in the state she was.

"All right, EDI. Thanks." He said in a hurry to move and desperately search for someone who could help him get the whole story straight. Nonetheless, the rest of the crew seemed to be asleep or just too drunk to talk yet. Liara, maybe? She was aware of his feeling towards Shepard, she could've paid more attention than the rest. He walked to the stairs from the other side of the apartment and he startled when someone he couldn't see spoke at his right.

"You seem lost, Garrus. Are you having trouble remembering what happened last night?" Kasumi materialized at his side, making the turian curse. He didn't really need her mocking at him just in that moment, but then he realized that the thief's nosy nature could be just what he needed.

"And I suppose you remember." Said the turian confidently, making the woman take a finger to her mouth in a thoughtful gesture.

"Well, I may have been in Shepard's room when you carried her to the bed." She said in a casual tone, making Garrus freak out. But he preferred to remain silent so he could find out what happened once and for all, "After Shep passed out, you were the first who arrived at her side. Everyone suspected there was something between you two, so nobody interfered when you took her to her room. But I was curious, so I followed you."

"And?" He said impatiently, forcing himself to leave out that last sentence.

"You leaned her down on her bed and stared at her face for a couple of minutes before you head out. But when you were about to leave…"

The memories came back violently and he could finally recall the moment Shepard grabbed him firmly from the chest of his armor, preventing him from moving from his position. Her eyelids were now open, allowing him to see her brilliant green eyes staring back at him. He stopped breathing once he heard the next words came out of her mouth.

"Garrus… Stay here tonight."

His body asked him desperately to jump on her and finally put an end to the tortuous desire he had been avoiding to set free all that time, but even with the urge asking his body to act and the alcohol inciting him, he could hear a voice hidden on a corner of his mind that screamed at him not to do it. He was totally lost for her, but his respect towards the woman was greater than everything else. He could never allow himself to consent to that without being completely certain that what she felt was real and not just an illusion caused by the alcohol on her body. He took her hand kindly out of his armor and held it for a moment before answering.

"You should get some rest, Shepard."

The woman looked at him with what seemed to be disappointment, but she closed her eyes obediently anyway and didn't pass long before he noticed she was completely asleep.

He put her hand on her belly and removed a lock of hair from her face before finally heading out.

"It was kind of strange, actually. Anyone who looked at you could say you are totally crazy for her" Continued Kasumi, bringing the turian back to reality once more. He took a few seconds to analyze what he just remembered, but he didn't know how to react. It was good that he didn't do anything foolish, but he couldn't help to feel kind of disappointed about it. He addressed again to the thief at his side, who was impatiently waiting of any kind of answer.

"Yeah, well… It's more complicated than that." He said apathetic, just wanting to get away. "Anyway, thank you, Kasumi. Although, next time I would really appreciate you give us some... Privacy."

The woman smiled. "No promises." Said before becoming invisible again.

Garrus walked back to the couch where he woke up and found Liara awake, sitting in front of him.

"I could use some tea…" She said when he sat looking at her, but he didn't pay too much attention.

Things were pretty weird last night, and now that everything was solved, something deep down made him wonder if he made the right call. Of course he wouldn't like to take advantage of Shepard if she was drunk, but was it really just because of alcohol? He had seen the Commander drunk many times, and he had never seen her act like that before. Something just didn't seem to be right with all that, and his headache wasn't making the task of figuring it out any easier.

He just wondered if anything had changed between him and…

"Shepard." He heard the asari say and he turned over to see the woman standing just beside him.

"Hey guys, everything all right?"

He felt totally nervous, but he did his best to dissimulate.

"I've been worst." He answered trying to sound casual, "What about you? You don't look good."

"Well, I still feel everything around me is spinning, but it's nothing I can't handle." She said with a smile, clearly affected by the alcohol, "I will check on the rest. You should probably get some breakfast, I bet you could use it." She continued before getting away from them, leaving Garrus a little puzzled. She didn't seem different at all after all what happened last night. Did she forget about it? It was probably for the best.


	6. Chapter 6

The shore leave had finished, and nothing could bring Shepard back to reality more than a failed mission. After her critical failure in Thessia, the woman's moral was lower than ever. She managed to cheer up the rest of the crew after the initial shock, but in those moments not even she felt sure about the speech she gave them about taking Cerberus down.

She checked the data for the millionth time, trying to accomplish the impossible making sure everything was in order before following Kai Leng's trail on the Sanctuary. But her mind had started to ramble and she could hardly concentrate anymore. She closed her eyes and let go a frustrated sigh. The best she could do in that moment was talking to the rest of the crew to make sure they were in shape. She didn't want to witness another loss on her team, even when she knew it was almost impossible to avoid losing people in that kind of situation. As the Commander, she was aware she couldn't torture herself with every death, but a part of her couldn't help to take responsibility for them, make it her own failure. In that war she had lost more close people than she had lost during all her years as a soldier, and her failure on Thessia had made her question all her decisions.

Would it have been possible to save them? Maybe things would have taken a different direction if she had known how to play her cards. Soon all the questions she had been avoiding to think about started haunting her. She felt weak, for the first time in years of service she felt incapable. Of course she would make the impossible to follow Kai Leng's trail and stop the Reapers, but she didn't feel so optimistic about it anymore.

Aware that her feelings would end up sinking her if she continued alone in that place, she stood up to get out of her private cabin and start talking to the rest of her crew. She wanted to be alone, but she was smart enough to know it wasn't the best idea in that moment. She walked towards the elevator and stared at the numbers, unsure of the location she should go first.

Liara had always been a great support for her, but after seeing her world destroyed, the asari would probably be in a worse situation. Shepard had been capable of cheering her up a little, but she knew her friend would probably want to spend some time by her own.

Garrus… She felt a strong pain on her chest just thinking about him. Garrus had been her essential source of strength since she met him. A tireless partner, ready to go on any mission whenever she needed him. His skills made him one of the few crew members she could confidently discuss combat strategies and even some of the more important decisions, but with time he had become even more than that. She could speak her mind openly to him, and even while being realistic, he always managed to put the odds in their favor. She smiled briefly, but it faded away quickly as she recalled the situation they were in. For the first time since she first met him, Garrus Vakarian was avoiding her. She knew him well enough to be sure that her instincts weren't wrong. Her friend may be somewhat reserved sometimes, but he had never behaved like this before. She had an idea of what was the reason behind his attitude, and it was exactly that thought that kept torturing her mind. Even though she didn't remember anything from the party, the turian's words were painfully engraved on her mind after she asked him to spend the night together. Garrus had rejected her, and she knew that he was probably taking some time to process what had happened. After all, they had been friends for many years. She knew all this probably didn't make any sense to him.

Without being able to make a decision and with the desire to keep those thoughts away, Shepard finally pressed the number 3 on the elevator to head to the kitchen. She could probably think more clearly after eating something. She left the elevator and turned around the corner just in time to see the Main Battery's door close behind Tali's figure. She felt really curious. It wasn't common for her to go all the way to the Main Battery to talk with Garrus unless it was something important. They usually talked through the intercom. She decided to ignore the situation and continue what she was doing at the kitchen, but suddenly a series of events came to her mind and all those times she saw them acting strange started making sense. Tali talking about inter-species relationships, all those weird stares and expressions between them, that movie Tali loved so much "Fleet and flotilla"… And finally, Garrus rejecting her. Her discovery left her frozen on place with her eyes completely focused on the Main Battery's door, making her completely lose her appetite. If it was somehow possible, the angst had intensified inside her.

"Commander."

"Javik. Do you need something?" She asked, trying to distract her mind of her recent discovery.

"No" Replied the prothean while looking at the Main Battery. But his expression seemed intrigued, and immediately stared back at her, "Yes. Actually, there's something I wish to ask.

"All right, I'm listening" Replied gratefully for having something else to think about. Javik seemed to think about his question before he finally spoke.

"Is this what inspires you to fight, Commander? The turian?"

The woman was expecting anything but that question, and her expression gave that away, because Javik seemed pleased with the results.

"Yes, fighting for my loved ones gives me strength" Answered aware that she was avoiding the prothean's question, but she didn't want to talk about her feelings towards the turian.

"That's not what I meant" He replied sharply, without changing the serious expression from his face "The turian is different"

Shepard stared at him speechless, but she didn't have to think about her answer much longer. Javik got closer to her with decisive steps, intimidating her a little bit, but she didn't move from the place she was standing on. The prothean stood in front of her, at a distance that normally would have been too intimate for her, but when he grabbed her arms, she realized what he was planning. She didn't stop him.

There were some confused moments in her mind in which she noticed the strong connection that was being created between them. She didn't fear about letting him inquire in her thoughts because she felt he was able to see beyond simple memories. Her emotions were being transmitted as well, and she was able to recall vividly every emotion Javik was seeing.

The flow of information ended, but the protean didn't take his hands away from the woman's arms right away. He stared at her, trying to make some sense from the things he just saw. Shepard heard footsteps at her side and she immediately turned to them to identify Tali, who was getting out of the Main Battery. Right before the door, she could see Garrus staring at her noticeably worried. It was the first time he looked at her directly in the days, but the doors got closed quickly, avoiding her to see anything else. The prothean released her arms at the time the quarian passed by their side. The Commander knew her friend must have had a puzzled expression behind the helmet, but she wasn't in the mood of explaining anything to her.

"Shepard." Tali greeted, keeping her way and receiving a week nod from the Commander. Shepard wasn't against their relationship, if both of her friends were able to find happiness together, it was a good thing. Nonetheless, she couldn't act so hypocrite pretending it wouldn't be hard to endure. At least at the beginning. She never saw that coming and it was a hard blow to take, especially with the strong feelings she had towards him. The worst part was that now they seemed stronger than ever.

She looked at Javik again, suddenly remembering he was still in front of her. He was smirking.

"This is the result of the inefficient ways of communication in this cycle" Said while taking some steps away from the woman "I'm surprised by your erratic reasoning, Commander. Especially because I have seen your sharp intuition on the battlefield. Primitives have too many weaknesses" He said finally turning around to leave the place without warning. Shepard tried to make some sense from his words, but she failed. What did he mean by erratic reasoning? It has obviously something to do with Garrus, the prothean focused specifically in those kind of memories. She still couldn't understand why she allowed him to read her, maybe it was for some hidden and desperate desire to put into words the way she felt. But Javik? Damn, that was just weird.

-o-

Shepard took the tracker that Miranda gave her and held it tight on her hand. Her younger sister, Oriana, was still on her side, grabbing the cold hand of the now lifeless body.

"Come on, Oriana. We'll get you out of here" Shepard said while standing up to grab the young woman and take her to the shuttle. The way back to the Normandy was quiet, and Shepard was grateful for it. After all what happened, she didn't want to say a word. Although, Tali's silence was a little bit suspicious given that she usually didn't stay quiet for that long. After finally arriving at the ship, Shepard made sure that Oriana received medical attention by doctor Chakwas and put the ship in course to the Citadel to get her home safe and sound. It was the least she could do for Miranda right now.

"Commander, the mission on Horizon seemed to affect Tali quite a lot. She's on the Observation Deck if you want to speak with her" Traynor informed when she passed next to her. Shepard had the intention to report to Hackett once more, but then thought it could wait a little while longer.

"Thanks, Traynor" Said the Commander while she turned around to get back to the elevator. She was curious about why her friend took that situation so badly. Sure, that lab disguised as a Sanctuary was something horrible to see, but it wasn't anything they hadn't seen before. Cerberus was capable of terrible things, and everyone was aware of that already.

Once she got to the room the quarian was on, she greeted her in a clear drunken state. After crossing a couple of words with her, it didn't take her so long for her to realize why she was in that state. Her father, of course.

Tali made a toast in Miranda's name, and her thoughts rapidly moved towards the agent's last words, making her feel a sudden wave of pity. They didn't have a great start, but she learned to appreciate and trust her. Once again those horrible questions were allocating on her brain, what if she had arrived sooner? Would she have been capable of…?

"Shepard."

The Commander stared at her friend, who had turned in her direction.

"Is there something between you and Javik?"

_What_?! Thought the Commander not being able to believe she had heard such a question. It didn't make any sense. Even if that situation at the Crew's deck was a little weird, everyone knew Javik had the ability to read other people. There wasn't any reason to think more of it. Right?

"What makes you think that?" She finally managed to ask, trying to hide the shock from her voice. She didn't have anything against the prothean, but that was just absurd.

"You two seem be getting closer lately. You allowed him to get inside your mind, Shepard, you have to admit that's weird. You even took him instead of Garrus during the last mission" The quarian was barely able to put those words together, speaking slowly to be able to modulate correctly. But even though she knew her friend was totally drunk, Shepard couldn't stop questioning herself if that's the image she was giving away lately.

"I needed biotic support. Liara is still affected by what happened on Thessia" Tried to explain, but Tali didn't seem to be listening to a word she was saying.

"He's strong and I admit his powers can be… Attractive. But he's more than 50.000 years old, how crazy is that?"

Shepard smiled, starting to feel amused about the situation "Tali…"

"He seemed so upset when i asked him about you… But I think that's the way he protects himself."

"You asked him about me?" The Commander couldn't avoid laughing at the idea of the prothean being attacked by the quarian with accusations like those. His reaction must have been something worthy of listening, "All right, Tali, listen to me" Finally said the commander, sitting next to her to get her attention, "There's nothing between Javik and me"

Tali stared at her direction quietly before speaking.

"Then why haven't you tried anything with Garrus yet?"

Shepard didn't know how to answer to that question. A lot of doubts came to her mind, but Tali spoke once again before she could take them out of her head.

"I know you like him, Shepard. You both act like teenagers when you're together" Said the quarian in a notorious mocking tone.

"Wait… You and Garrus aren't…?"

"What?! Keelah, Shepard, don't tell me you hadn't noticed before."

"Notice what?" Asked the Commander impatiently

Tali laughed "Garrus likes you, you're probably the only one who hasn't realized it yet"

Shepard had a warm feeling inside, something she thought she had lost. Even if her mind was still trying to make some sense about what she just heard, the overwhelming smile that had just appeared on her lips told her that she had accepted that information already. In that moment she understood what Javik was trying to say with 'erratic reasoning'. Of course, how could she let herself be taken away so much by her emotions? Normally she was quite perceptive, especially when it came to decipher Garrus's behavior. She knew him well. But that rejection had managed to confuse her completely, even if it seemed to make sense now. Garrus wouldn't take advantage of a drunken woman, displaying all his chivalry in the process. Her face showed her amusement. Oh. Garrus Vakarian was going to pay. 


	7. Chapter 7

"So…"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"That can only mean that things didn't go so good."

Garrus did his best to focus his attention on the task in front of him. He was tired and frustrated, finally aware that everything was taking its toll. Dissimulating in front of Shepard after what happened in her apartment wasn't easy at all, and he had ended up deciding to avoid her. It wasn't something that made him feel any better, but at least that way he wouldn't do anything stupid that could make her feel uncomfortable. He had to get himself back together, he definitely had more important stuff to worry about, but his hormones didn't seem to agree with that.

"Nothing happened between us, Tali." He replied lifelessly, without even looking at her. He knew the moment of interrogation would come sooner or later, but unfortunately, the quarian didn't catch him in the best mood. She leaned towards the handrail before talking once again.

"Avoiding her is not your best choice, Garrus. Shepard is not stupid. She will notice it" She tried to convince him with a serious tone, something unusual in her during those types of conversations. The turian finally stopped what he was doing and rested his arms on the keyboard, letting go a little sigh. Tali talked again, "Don't give up so soon" Said before finally getting out of the Main Battery.

He turned to watch her leave, but just in that moment his attention was captured by something else. In the end of the hall, Javik was firmly holding Shepard by her arms. He could notice the Commander staring back at him just before the doors got closed, and he had to contain the strong impulse of wanting to go there. Why would they do that? He knew Javik was reading her thoughts, he had seen the process before. But why did Shepard allow it? Until that moment, they had only talked when it was strictly necessary, and something deep down made him feel this interaction was not. He cursed his own thoughts. Since when did Javik start being a threat to him? It didn't make any sense. There was absolutely no reason why they could get interested on each other in more than a professional way, but even aware of that, the terrible feeling didn't seem to go away.

He spent the next hours focused on what he did best in the Main Battery, getting lost in his own tortuous reflections. The situation was starting to clarify that the time was running out and the moment of the final battle was closer every second. That, of course, if they managed to get to it alive, of course. He stopped his task abruptly, realizing he needed to act now. He had to put his fears aside and take the chance while he still got it.

With that on his mind, the turian left the place to search for the Commander.

-o-

"Doctor T'Soni, our networks have detected some information that could be of interest to you."

The asari got close to the screen full of curiosity and she started investigating the archives that were there right away. She saw an audio recording and a few short messages from the few contacts she still got on Omega. She clicked the audio.

_"__Sir, Aria T'Loak is trying to pass through our defenses."_

The skeptical laugh of a man was heard right before he answered.

_"__I want to see her try."_

The woman from the start talked once more, but this time with a nervous tone.

_"__There is a problem… Sir. She's not coming alone. She's getting aid from…"_

Some interference didn't allow her to hear the last words, and the recording ended. Liara had a terrible hunch.

"Glyph, try to get visual footage and keep me informed."

"Yes, Doctor T'Soni."

The asari hurried out of the place to corroborate what she was starting to think. If there was someone that would've probably checked the time Shepard got out the Normandy, that was probably Joker. Shepard had announced she would stop on the Citadel for a couple of hours, and now his delay was starting to make some sense. Liara took the elevator and got to the bridge just in time to see the discussion between Joker and the turian.

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?!"

"Dammit, I told you already. She only said she would give some stuff to a couple of people and then she would return to the ship, I got nothing else for you. Besides, I'm not his babysitter, I guessed you would be more interested on that role."

That response made the turian feel even more frustrated.

"What Jeff said is accurate. Shepard didn't give any specific details about her destination. But it is weird, in fact. She should be back already." Intervened EDI this time.

Garrus turned around planning to get off the ship looking for the woman, but instead of that he almost bumped into his friend.

"I think I know where Shepard is." She claimed in a tone that didn't do much to calm him.

-o-

Garrus spent the next hours totally attentive to the few pieces of information that got filtered thanks to Liara's network, impatient to know with certainty what was going on. It wasn't too hard to imagine, though. Aria was planning to take Omega back and had asked for Shepard's support. Nonetheless, he didn't notice the moment when the arrogant woman started trusting the Commander that much, even getting to the point of entrust her such a delicate task. Just the fact that she was asking for help made him a little surprised, but he supposed even someone like Aria couldn't handle Cerberus by her own. It made sense that Shepard didn't say anything about her plans. It was a secret mission after all. But something inside made him feel kind of disappointed. He didn't expect to be excluded for something like that. He was used to be a part of the Commander's plans, even the most secret ones, but still, thinking that way was out of place. Shepard watched over all of them, and his duty was to trust her, even if he didn't like one bit the situation she had gotten into.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally got the message that the Commander was back on the ship. His stomach twisted, feeling both nervous and relieved. Of course it was good news that Shepard made it back safe and sound, but the thought of what he had to do next made him feel kind of sick. He walked slowly as an excuse to delay the moment he knew he would had to face anyway, and his heart pulse quickened when he found himself in front of her private cabin's door again. He knocked twice, and just like the first time, he got a positive response.

Shepard was sitting on the bed with a glass of wine on her hand, checking reports. Her face and naked arms indicated clear signs of a recent battle, but he didn't find any significant damage.

"Garrus, what can I do for you?"

He got a little closer before talking.

"I… Would like to speak with you." He said, managing to gather some confidence.

"Alright, I'm listening." She replied without taking her eyes from the reports, making the turian a little uncomfortable. But it didn't stop him.

"It may sound a little strange, but…" Not being able to make eye contact was starting to freak him out, "Lately I've been feeling..." It was way harder to put it into words, "I think I have special feelings for you."

There, he said it. But the time the woman was taking to answer made him have a terrible hunch.

Shepard gave a sip to her glass before answering, "That's mutual, Garrus. You know you're not just a squad member, you are my friend." She said in a casual tone, avoiding looking at him directly.

That answer caught him flying low. He had passed hours putting himself in any kind of situation his mind could imagine, but that one definitely wasn't on the list.

"That's… Not exactly what I meant, Shepard." He got closer and took the object off her hands with some frustration, finally getting the woman's attention. But it didn't last too long before she stood up and avoid his eyes again.

"I know you are nervous about the final battle, Garrus. I am too."

He grabbed her arm before she could slip away again.

"Shepard, please. Don't try to avoid me."

"Well, you did it for almost three days."

He had to blink a couple of times. It wasn't exactly the answer he had been waiting for. Was it really that evident? Of course, you don't have to be a genius to realize it, especially with the kind of relationship they had. Nonetheless, it was weird to see the woman affected by that kind of stuff. It was not usual for her to show it, and now he felt terribly guilty. He never intended to make her feel bad.

"Shepard, I'm sorry. I didn't want to…" He noticed her lips fighting to restrain a smile and he finally realized it all. "Wait a minute, are you trying to get back at me?

The woman's lips got curved freely in a sly smile and then crossed her arms, leaning her back against the wall.

"Maybe. If that's the case, what are you going to do about it?"

She seemed to exude a provocative air of seduction that was starting to affect him, but he was afraid his nerves and the intense heat he was starting to feel inside were clouding his judgment. Her waist looked a lot more prominent in that position, and the sudden change of the woman to a challenging attitude drove him crazy. Dammit, was she doing it on purpose? He cleared his throat before answering.

"I think we got a little out of topic."

"Yeah, you're probably right" She moved from her previous position and turned around to walk toward her desk, "So, what did you…?"

Shepard stopped her sentence abruptly when she noticed her waist had been firmly caught. The turian's head rested on her neck, causing her body to tremble once she felt his heavy breathing directly against her skin.

"You know what I've been trying to say, Shepard." He muttered softly on her ear, making the woman feel a ticklish sensation all over her body. She wondered how was it possible that he could be so provocative without even trying. Unable to contain herself anymore, she held his hands and put them on her hips, guiding them all the way up through her curvature to incite him.

He didn't dare to move a muscle from his body at first, too afraid of ruining the situation. The pronounced curves of the woman's body felt even more tempting under his touch, and he was pretty sure that the situation they were on was way too far from something professional. Even from merely friendship.

He felt his urges and softly touched her breasts, getting from her mouth a pleased sigh that incited him to keep going. The fine clothing she was wearing suddenly became an annoyance. He wanted to feel her soft skin, just like he was doing with her exposed neck. He slipped his hands back to her hips and started going up again, this time under the shirt. But he felt disappointed when he got to the top and found another piece of clothing covering her. Damn, how many clothes did human wear? He was about to take it off to go freely through her body when a message came from the speakers, making both of them startle a bit.

"Shepard, Admiral Hackett requested me to let you know that the fleets are ready to attack Cerberus's base."

Garrus took some distance, even when his body was begging him not to do it. The confusion hit him suddenly.

"Alright, EDI. I'll be there in a moment."

He looked at the Commander nervously, not sure of how should he behave now.

"You knew, didn't you?" He asked, realizing that the woman had been trying to annoy him since he first got into the room. If he would have been a little less focused on his own concerns, he would probably have noticed it before.

"I just found out today." She answered, keeping that playful smile on her lips, "And by the way, I must say it. You were not bad at all."

Garrus felt a sudden wave of shame when he remembered with specific details what he just had done. He had totally gone with the flow, even before he could tell Shepard how he felt about her.

"Oh, well… About that…"

"I'll be looking forward to _resume our activities_." She said in a flirty manner, walking a little closer to him. "Until then… Would you have my back on the next battle?

The turian put aside all kind of hesitation before he answered to that, even if the previous insinuation had stunned him a little.

"I Always will."


	8. Chapter 8

First of all... I'm so sorry for taking this long, I had a terrible lack of inspiration. But it came back to me, so here I am! Thank you very much for your support, you are the best, guys!

* * *

"What do you mean by intimate situation?"

The AI remained silent for a few seconds, as if she was evaluating what she was about to say.

"I don't think Shepard would agree that I reveal that information"

"Aw, c'mon, EDI. You already started"

The word spread around fast, so when Shepard finished talking to Hackett and decided to set course to the enemy base, the whole crew had something to say about the commander's private life.

Garrus had been trying to keep his mind busy with no success at all. He even had considered going to talk to Tali before they arrived to their destination, but he didn't really feel like it. Overthinking. That was his terrible problem. Something did happen between him and Shepard, but had he been clear enough about his feelings? He wasn't sure they would have enough time to talk with so many things to do, and leaving so many strings unattached before that important moment was killing him. He finally decided to get comfort on the main battery, but when he passed by the kitchen, the sight of James putting some salt to what he liked to call "huevos revueltos" distracted him. Yeah, weird name for a plate of food.

"Hey, Scars" He greeted when he noticed the turian's presence, "You had it well saved, huh? I didn't really think you actually had the _cojones _to do it."

Garrus didn't understand what the hell was he talking about, but he got curious. Big mistake.

"And by that, you mean…"

"You and Shepard. I heard you've been busy" The turian regretted asking. He even regretted stopping by his side to make conversation. What was going on with everyone lately? It was like they were desperately trying to keep Shepard on his mind as much as they could. Like he needed it.

"I can give you some advice if you need it. Though… I'm not sure of how you two… Well… How does it work".

"Thank you, Vega, that's really thoughtful of you, but I don't need your advice" He answered quickly trying to shut him up before he tried to look more into the topic. Yeah, probably not a good idea. The truth was he wasn't even sure of how that worked either.

"Alright, suit yourself" James answered going back to his eggs. The turian was about to escape from there, but a second voice stopped him.

"Garrus. Would you mind if we talk for a bit?"

He felt suddenly nervous, like he was about to be reprehended for doing a bad thing. He had no idea of when had she gotten there. Shepard greeted James casually and they walked to the main battery. That would probably give the crew members more to talk about.

The doors got closed and he stood anxiously behind her.

"So… You don't need any advice, huh? I may wanna see that" The woman said provocatively. Damn. So she had heard that. She got closer until she put her hands on his chest and he couldn't avoid answering to that grabbing her waist, even if he wasn't sure of what would happen next.

"You mean… Now?" He asked unsure and he noticed that her expression changed a little.

"It may be the only chance we have."

The tone in her voice gave him a bad feeling. That couldn't be right. He was pretty nervous about the fight too, especially under the thought of losing her. But she couldn't act like she was defeated already. Everyone trusted her with their lives, and there was a good reason for that. He would not allow her to give up so easily, that wasn't an option. He needed her to stay positive. He needed her to win that thing and get back to him.

He held her from her chin to look directly into her eyes, and he couldn't help to notice they had the same bright he saw when they were on her apartment. Something he couldn't recognize back then and a very rare thing to see in the Commander's expression. Insecurity.

"This will be the first of many." He felt surprised by the conviction on his own voice, but the soft smile on the woman's face gave him reassurance. He leaned towards her to finally reach her lips in a very characteristic human gesture. They were pretty soft, and he could understand the reason why humans did that so often right away. It felt damn good. The woman put her arms around his neck and she stood on her tiptoes to deepen the contact. Her tongue found his, making him feel a ticklish sensation going through his body. She suddenly cut the contact and he felt disappointed, but it changed quickly when she unzipped her hoodie to let it slide through her arms. He wasn't exactly to admit it, but he had been fantasizing about her body for months. Their mouths gathered once more and he lifted her from the ground with no effort, putting her against the keyboard where he used to work. He bit her neck softly, making her sigh. His animal instincts were starting to show and it was getting hard to contain them, but she was so soft and fragile under his touch that he was scared to hurt her. Something he never imagined he would think about Commander Shepard.

"You're full of surprises" She said breathing a little faster.

"And it's just getting started" He whispered on her neck, making her skin chill.

Her scent was something else. He didn't know why, but it was driving him crazy. He touched her skin under the shirt once more, and he felt attracted by its warmth. He got rid of her pants and caressed her smooth legs, feeling surprised by the strength of his own desire.

"You're not planning to continue with your armor on, are you?" She mocked bringing him back to reality for a second. He was so focused on feeling her body that he had totally forgotten about himself.

The minutes passed as they kissed and took their clothes off, the heat of their bodies increased, just as the rate of their breathing. The only thing between him and her bare skin was that annoying thing covering her breasts again. She seemed to guess what he was thinking, because her hands went quickly to her own back to get it loose. She was now totally exposed to him, and that view aroused him. He kissed her all over her neck until he finally got to her chest, and she moaned when he licked a soft spot. He definitely wanted to hear that again.

Soon enough her heavy breathing had turned into a series of moans as her body twisted right under him. She bit her lip, trying to contain those sounds and formulate a sentence.

"I want you, Garrus. I want to feel you"

The mix of excitement and anxiety in the woman's voice made him feel a little nervous again, but there was no way in the world he would back off now. He wanted it as much as she did. Maybe even more. He adjusted his body between her legs and held them at his sides to move freely, and then pushed gently against her.

She let go a little whine of excitement, and it became louder as he went deeper into her. He didn't remember feeling like that before, but he couldn't totally focus on the pleasure. Human expressions were hard to read, and he was having a difficult time trying to figure if that was pleasure or pain on her face.

"I'm not going to break, Garrus…" She muttered impatiently, giving him some confidence to go on. Even if he wasn't completely sure that was a good idea, he allowed his instincts to take control for a minute and finally pushed harder against her, filling her completely. She tried to contain her groan, but she wasn't too successful at it. At least now the crew members would talk with real reasons.

Her hips started moving quickly, and she put her legs around his waist to make sure to keep the contact. He coordinated with her rhythm quick enough, making his movements rougher every second. The expressions on her face and the sounds she made every time he made a move were more than he could take. His hands slid to her breasts and he stimulated her again, finally receiving the reaction he could identify like her orgasm. That was enough to produce his own.

He rested his forehead on her chest, trying to catch his breath and to process what just happened. But the strong spasm that had gone through his whole body just seconds ago was making that task very hard.

"Commander, 5 minutes to the enemy base" They heard Joker's voice, and Garrus couldn't help to laugh a little.

"I'm pretty sure he knows"

"Yeah, he definitely knows"

-o-

"We are in this till the end"

"No matter what happens here… You know I love you. I always will."

She got closer to him to him and put a hand on his cheek. His whole body was in a terrible pain, but that wasn't as nearly as torturing as watching her leave.

"Shepard I… Love you too" He watched her go away and give the order to the Normandy to leave the place. His eyes stared at the place where she was until the door closed and it was impossible to see further. Tali almost dragged his body inside of the ship. There was a burning feeling on his chest that he could barely resist.

He was supposed to be with her. Take care of her. Even die for her, if it was necessary. It was the biggest and grievous failure in his life.

"Garrus!"

He woke up with that voice bringing him back. It wasn't hard to realize where he was.

"What time is it?" He asked sitting on the bed while his quarian friend got closer and sat beside him.

"5 AM. There's still some hours left before the sun goes out in this planet"

It had been almost two months since then, but the nightmares didn't go away. Not even with time. Being on earth wasn't being on earth wasn't making it any easier for him either. There was a lot to do there, a lot to rebuild, but he couldn't keep his mind busy enough. There was always room for her. Even during his dreams.

"I better get back to work" He said standing up and leaving the little room where he was staying. Tali looked at him worried, but she didn't dare to stop him.

Even at that hour, there was still some people up trying to put everything back together. It was kind of weird seeing everyone cooperating, so willing to help. No anti-alien human groups, no more discrimination, no more hate between species. It was something pleasant to see, but he was pretty sure it wouldn't last long. People were just grateful about surviving and winning the war, they were living under the illusion of union that facing a stronger enemy had left them. But now that the threat was gone, things would get back to normal. It was only a matter of time. Differences would take importance again and people would start fighting for every single irrelevant thing they disagree on. That's just the way it was. Organic's nature.

He walked by the place where the hospital was and he could see Liara getting out of the building with her hands full of stuff. She looked terrible.

"You should get some sleep sometimes, don't you think?" He said when she was close enough to hear him. She hadn't seen him until that moment, but she smiled in response.

"Says the one who wakes up at 5 AM." He relaxed his expression when he heard her voice, and she kept talking, "I guess we are a mess, aren't we?"

And she was right, as always. But things would improve eventually. He needed to believe that.

"We will get it back together"

She looked at him with a warm smile. He couldn't really guess what she was thinking.

"I want to believe that."

He was about to answer, but they noticed Tali's presence.

"I better get these things where they belong. Take care, you two." Said the asari finally leaving the turian and his quarian friend walked quietly for a few minutes.

"You should move to another place, Tali. I don't want to wake you up every time I have a nightmare" He said surprising her a little. He wasn't very open to talk about his nightmares, so it was pretty weird that he brought the subject up.

"Don't worry about it. Is not like I've been having sweet dreams anyway."

He wasn't convinced by her answer, but he didn't want to argue. Tali had been keeping an eye on him since Shepard's disappearance, even if she didn't want to admit it directly. He didn't feel comfortable with her friend bothering to take care of him, but he had to admit that for the first three weeks he had been a useless wrap of anguish and sorrow. He couldn't blame her for getting worried, and he was grateful for that.

"Do you still believe she is alive?" She asked suddenly, making him stop walking. She stopped as well and waited anxiously for the answer.

"Yeah, I do" He said sincerely. He didn't really want to talk about it, but no matter what people said to him, he would always hope for her return. Especially after authorities declared they couldn't find her body.

He couldn't tell what kind of expression was on her face, but he could feel shyness on her next words.

"Maybe it is time to move on, Garrus. Hold on to new things" She gave a step closer to him and grabbed one of his hands with some hesitation, "Maybe… Something that's here right now"

He was so astonished that it took him several seconds to react. Was she trying to say what he was thinking? No, no way. How could that be? How was that he didn't happen to notice it before?

"Tali, I…"

"Garrus!"

It was getting usual that he got interrupted by people, but this time he was almost grateful. He didn't know how to face that kind of situation. He looked at voice's owner and couldn't help to get worried when he saw her expression. Liara seemed very alarmed.

"What is it?" He was getting impatient, but he tried not to show it.

"They found Shepard."


	9. Chapter 9

She wanted to open her eyes, but it was too difficult. She didn't move an inch, even breathing was terribly painful. She definitely wasn't on the ground covered by ashes and debris. Where was she? How was that she was still alive? Even more important, what happened after she chose to destroy the Reapers? She forced herself to open her eyes once more, but the bright light and her blurry vision just allowed her to distinguish three shadows a couple of meters away. The place looked a lot like a laboratory.

"So she's out of risk now?" Asked a human voice. An awfully familiar one. But who was him? The one who seemed like a salarian checked some papers and took distance from the other two.

"Yes, she is. But it would be better if we waited a couple of days before we begin the procedures. She's not totally stable yet"

She heard the human let go an angry growl and she felt kind of anxious. Were they talking about her? Were they Alliance scientists?

"The procedures begin now. We can't risk losing any more time." The human ordered, but this time the third figure talked. An asari.

"Sir, are you sure this is going to work? If she managed to escape or if someone discovered what we are doing they…"

"Your insecurity is dangerous. People like you are the ones who end up being traitors" He took his gun and pointed it directly to de asari's head. A big noise, and the body ended up on the ground. The salarian didn't move at all, "And we can't risk the operation" He continued. "Begin the procedures. Now." The human left the room and the salarian completely ignored the dead body on the ground and got closer to her.

Alright, she was now pretty sure they were not Alliance doctors. She was aware that she was in trouble. Whatever they were going to do with her, it didn't seem good at all. She felt a string on her neck and her consciousness faded away.

-o-

"There are no proofs that the information is accurate"

"Then send teams to check it out"

"Already done. I sent a small team to investigate the area"

"Only a team? It will take them days to find something!"

The Admiral let go a little sigh, but he didn't soften his expression.

"I can't move an entire army based on a rumor, Garrus. There is some peace now, but this stability is fragile. The troops are needed to contain people, keep things moving. I can't dispense of them."

The turian leaned towards the table in an angry gesture.

"It is Shepard who we're talking about"

"And it is only a rumor"

The turian gave him a challenging look and then got away from the table.

"Fine" He said walking to the place where the guns were and he grabbed his old weapons. Hackett didn't say anything. He was pretty sure he knew nobody could change his mind. The turian walked towards the door very frustrated. Screw the Alliance, screw the regulations. He would go find her by his own. Even if it was just what a group of civilians said they saw, he would check it out. It was worth to try. A thousand times better than staying there, pretending he was doing something good for society. He arrived to the place where he was staying and grabbed essential stuff that would help him on his mission. Even if he was angry, he felt optimistic. He hadn't heard from her since he knew she made it to the Crucible, and the possibility of seeing her again had his heart running fast.

He left the place ready to depart, but he heard his asari friend calling his name.

"Garrus, wait!"

He didn't even bother to look at her, he didn't want to argue. He was going.

"I'm sorry, Liara. I need to do this"

"I know" She said standing at his side.

"We just thought you might wanna use some extra guns"

He turned to that familiar deep voice and he was surprised to see them. Wrex, Liara, Tali and Kaidan. The asari smiled at him with reassurance.

"Don't worry, Garrus. We will find Shepard" Said this time Tali, making him feel his hope grew even higher.

"Besides, you will probably need someone who knows earth now that you can't depend on your onmi-tool. Did you have any idea of where were you going?"

He wasn't happy to admit it, but Kaidan was right. He had heard about some places on Earth and he had a map. But it was much better if he had help. Especially from them, the people who had been supporting Shepard from the very beginning. Friends he could trust with his life. He nodded in response, feeling suddenly out of words. He was damn grateful, and they all knew it. Even if he couldn't put it into words.

-o-

It took them several hours to finally get to the little town where the civilians were supposed to be. Garrus talked to the guards there, and they gave them some directions. The first step was to talk to them and get as much information as possible. He got to the first house and saw an old woman taking out some trash.

"Excuse me. Does Brice Stallard lives here?" He asked, but she seemed to be terrified to hear that name.

"I haven't heard that name in my life!" She almost screamed and then got into the house, slamming the door. That wasn't a good sign at all.

"That was very weird" Said Liara checking the information the guards gave them. That was definitely the place where the witness was supposed to live.

"The other house is a couple of streets further" Suggested Kaidan.

They walked to the new direction, but this time no one answered the door.

"This is getting suspicious" Said the krogan, trying to see through a window. But nothing moved inside the house.

"Maybe we should talk to the guards again" Suggested the asari, but right in that moment a teenager approached them.

"You're here to know about Commander Shepard, right?"

Finally some answers.

"What do you know?" Asked the turian impatiently, but the girl asked them to follow her. They got into a house and it didn't take long before she started talking.

"There was a group of hunters in the forest. The most skilled ones. My brother was among them" She took a little pause and then continued, "He told me they saw her walking with another group of people. He was sure it was her, so he convinced the rest to go tell the authorities. The next day, they were all gone. Even their close ones" The girl's eyes got filled with tears, but her expression was of rage, "I don't care what those bastards may do to me. But I'm sure they took my brother. If you can take them down, I will help you however I can".

The information was hard to process, but everything was starting to make sense. If someone was keeping Shepard as a prisoner, it would explain why nobody had seen her for months.

"How was that they didn't take you too?" Asked Kaidan this time, a little suspicious.

"We don't live together, and not many people know we are half siblings. They kept my father out of this as well"

Garrus wasn't hearing at her explanations anymore. He needed to know the locations, the place where they saw her. He needed to know why were they keeping her trapped and release her. Take her back.

"Tell us where to go"

-o-

It wasn't hard to get there once they received the girl's indications. They searched around for any sign of strange activity and they started splitting up a little to cover more terrain. That was when Tali approached him.

"Are you sure we can trust her?"

He understood her doubts, but he needed to focus on the task.

"Yeah. Let's keep searching" He said not even looking at her. She held his arm to capture his attention.

"Garrus, you know we would follow you to the end of the world. We trust you. But I need to know you're not letting your emotions blind you" She looked genuinely concerned about his mental health.

"I'm fine, Tali" He tried to calm down a little, aware that it wasn't the best way to maintain the trust of his friends, "I know she wasn't lying. I wouldn't jeopardize this operation with reckless decisions. It's way too important"

It seemed to be enough to relax the quarian, and she nodded in response.

"Hey pyjaks, I think I found something!"

The whole crew got closer to the krogan and stared at what seemed to be like ruins. Kaidan inspected the entrance.

"There are signs of recent movement" Said the human as the team gathered around. Garrus gave the sign and they quietly followed him inside.

The place was bigger than it seemed, and they could barely see inside. The lights were weak.

"Stay sharp, if they are who we are looking for, there's no way they hadn't detected us by now" Said the turian while walked. Minutes passed as they advanced and nothing happened. He was starting to get a bad feeling.

"Movement at my left" Said the human, and immediately a series of gunshots were heard.

"Get cover!"

Everyone ran to cover and started shooting in response, but it was hard to point when they could barely see. The shooting ceased and they moved forward to keep fighting, but they only found a lot of dead bodies. They were mostly humans.

"Damn. Cerberus again?" Said the Krogan, but Liara hurried to answer.

"No way, the Illusive Man is dead. His body was found near the remains of the Crucible"

"It doesn't mean they couldn't keep working. But I don't think this has anything to do with them"

They stopped when the hallway got separated, forming two different ways.

"We need to split up. Liara, come with me. We will gather again here in half an hour. If one of the groups doesn't make it back, we'll assume they're in trouble".

The rest of the team followed Garrus's orders right away and they took the different paths. Liara and him walked cautiously for several minutes until they finally found a big and illuminated room. They opened the doors quickly and checked the place. There was only one person standing there, giving his back to the people who had just entered the room. Garrus got closer, pointing his gun to him.

"Turn around and don't try anything funny" He said waiting for the guy to show his face. The scientist obeyed, but the smile on his face wasn't a good sign. He knew that bastard, and he couldn't believe he would be the one under all that mess.

"Gavin Archer" He muttered with despise, "So you managed to keep your pathetic ass alive to continue making a lot of lives miserable"

Liara got closer, surprised to identify the person as well. Project Overlord. She would never forget it.

"I must say I'm impressed you made it this far" He said with no signs of fear or regrets. Garrus gave a step closer.

"It's over. Tell me where is Shepard or I'll make sure you don't keep wasting air"

"Is that so? I wouldn't claim victory so fast if I was you"

The turian felt a hit by his side and soon his rifle was on the ground. Damn, he had been careless. He ended up against the wall, with a strong arm pushing against his neck.

He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.

"Shepard…"


End file.
